This error occurs when Docker commands fail because the Docker Desktop application has not been started. Docker Desktop must be running in the background for the Docker CLI to function on Windows and macOS.
The "Docker Desktop is not running" error indicates that the Docker Desktop application is not active on your system. Docker Desktop is the graphical application that manages the Docker daemon (dockerd) on Windows and macOS systems. When you execute Docker commands like `docker ps`, `docker run`, or `docker build`, the Docker CLI needs to communicate with the Docker daemon. On Windows, this happens through a named pipe (`//./pipe/docker_engine`), and on macOS through a Unix socket (`/var/run/docker.sock`). Without Docker Desktop running, there is no daemon to process your commands. The CLI detects this and displays the "Docker Desktop is not running" message. This is one of the most common Docker errors, especially after a system restart when Docker Desktop does not auto-start.
The simplest fix is to launch Docker Desktop:
On Windows:
1. Click the Windows Start menu
2. Type "Docker Desktop" and click the application
3. Wait for the whale icon to appear in the system tray
4. The icon animates while starting - wait until it becomes solid
On macOS:
1. Open Finder and navigate to Applications
2. Double-click "Docker.app"
3. Wait for the whale icon to appear in the menu bar
Using terminal (Windows PowerShell):
Start-Process "C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\Docker Desktop.exe"Using terminal (macOS):
open -a DockerAfter starting Docker Desktop, confirm it's operational:
docker versionYou should see both Client and Server sections in the output. If only Client appears, Docker is still starting or failed to start.
Run a simple test:
docker run hello-worldIf successful, Docker is fully operational.
To prevent this issue after reboots, configure Docker Desktop to start automatically:
1. Open Docker Desktop
2. Click the gear icon (Settings)
3. In the "General" section, enable "Start Docker Desktop when you sign in"
4. Click "Apply & Restart"
This ensures Docker Desktop launches during login, so the daemon is always available.
If Docker Desktop is starting but commands still fail, it may not be fully initialized:
On Windows/macOS:
- Look at the Docker Desktop whale icon
- If it's animated (moving), Docker is still starting
- Wait until the icon becomes static
Using CLI to wait:
# This command will block until Docker is ready
docker info > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "Docker is ready" || echo "Docker is not ready"Typical startup time: 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on system resources.
If stuck on "Docker Desktop Starting..." for more than 5 minutes, see the troubleshooting steps below.
If Docker Desktop appears running but commands fail, try restarting it:
Using the system tray/menu bar:
1. Right-click the Docker whale icon
2. Select "Restart"
On Windows (kill and restart):
# Kill Docker Desktop processes
Stop-Process -Name "Docker Desktop" -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Stop-Process -Name "com.docker.backend" -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
# Restart Docker Desktop
Start-Process "C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\Docker Desktop.exe"On macOS (kill and restart):
# Kill Docker processes
pkill -f "Docker Desktop"
pkill -f "com.docker"
# Restart Docker Desktop
open -a DockerOn Windows, Docker Desktop uses WSL2 by default. WSL issues can prevent Docker from starting:
# Update WSL to the latest version
wsl --update
# Shut down all WSL instances
wsl --shutdown
# Verify WSL distros
wsl -l -vYou should see "docker-desktop" and "docker-desktop-data" distributions. If missing:
# Reinstall Docker Desktop to recreate WSL distrosFor WSL 2.5.7 compatibility issues:
Some users report Docker Desktop fails with WSL 2.5.7. Update to the latest Docker Desktop version (4.42+) to resolve this.
Docker Desktop requires hardware virtualization:
Windows - Check in Task Manager:
1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager
2. Go to the "Performance" tab
3. Look for "Virtualization: Enabled"
macOS - Virtualization is always available on supported Macs
If virtualization shows Disabled:
1. Restart your computer
2. Enter BIOS/UEFI (usually F2, F12, Del, or Esc during boot)
3. Find "Intel VT-x", "Intel Virtualization Technology", "AMD-V", or "SVM Mode"
4. Enable the setting
5. Save and exit BIOS
Windows - Enable required features:
# Run in elevated PowerShell
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestartRestart Windows after enabling features.
If Docker Desktop keeps failing to start, reset it:
1. Open Docker Desktop (if possible)
2. Click the gear icon (Settings)
3. Go to "Troubleshoot" section
4. Click "Reset to factory defaults"
Warning: This removes ALL containers, images, volumes, and settings.
Before resetting, backup important images:
docker save my-image:tag -o my-image-backup.tarIf Docker Desktop won't open, delete the settings file manually:
Windows:
Remove-Item "$env:APPDATA\Docker\settings.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinuemacOS:
rm ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.docker/settings.jsonThen restart Docker Desktop.
As a last resort, perform a clean reinstall:
Windows:
1. Uninstall Docker Desktop via Settings > Apps
2. Remove leftover data:
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:APPDATA\Docker" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Docker" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:PROGRAMDATA\Docker" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:PROGRAMDATA\DockerDesktop" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
wsl --unregister docker-desktop
wsl --unregister docker-desktop-data3. Restart Windows
4. Download and install Docker Desktop from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
macOS:
1. Drag Docker.app to Trash
2. Remove leftover data:
rm -rf ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.docker
rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker
rm -rf ~/.docker3. Download and install Docker Desktop from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
Running diagnostics:
If Docker Desktop fails to start, run the built-in diagnostic tool:
Windows (PowerShell):
& "C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\com.docker.diagnose.exe" gather -uploadmacOS:
/Applications/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/com.docker.diagnose gather -uploadLinux:
/opt/docker-desktop/bin/com.docker.diagnose gather -uploadThis generates a diagnostic ID for Docker support.
SSH and headless environments:
The docker desktop start command does not work when executed via SSH on Windows due to how WinCred stores credentials securely. In headless scenarios, consider using Docker Engine directly instead of Docker Desktop.
Ubuntu 24.04 specific issue:
Due to AppArmor restrictions on unprivileged namespaces, Docker Desktop may fail on Ubuntu 24.04:
sudo sysctl -w kernel.apparmor_restrict_unprivileged_userns=0Checking Docker Desktop logs:
# macOS/Linux
cat ~/.docker/desktop/log/host/Docker\ Desktop.log
# Windows
Get-Content "$env:APPDATA\Docker\log\host\Docker Desktop.log"Corporate environments:
Group policies may prevent Docker Desktop from starting. Ensure:
- Hyper-V and virtualization features are allowed
- Your user is in the docker-users group (Windows)
- No software restriction policies block Docker executables
Memory requirements:
Docker Desktop requires at least 4GB of RAM. On systems with limited memory, Docker may fail to start or run slowly. Configure memory limits in Docker Desktop Settings > Resources.
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